Chapter 7 – Subordinate Goddess (I)

Themis couldn't help but widen her eyes as she looked at her future Lord. Handsome? That word was no longer adequate to describe his beauty.

Long, gleaming golden hair arranged in a lengthy braid, although his androgynous face had a certain feminine charm, the imperial aura he exuded made it clear to anyone that he was a male god. His golden eyes were like two pools of molten gold, emanating a gentle yet majestic and inviolable gaze.

Despite his small stature, he carried an incomparable weight, almost compelling everyone to bow before him. For the first time, Themis saw such a beautiful, adorable, and graceful god.

Seeing the goddess her brother saved staring silently at Miquella, Malenia rolled her eyes, not at all surprised by the goddess's stunned expression.

Her brother was the most dangerous of the Empyreans, innately possessing the beauty and wisdom of a god. His beauty was so renowned that Leyndell was crowded when he was born, all to see his splendor.

Honestly, though Miquella showed a gentle and warm look, he was very pleased with Themis's stunned expression after seeing his appearance. It inflated his ego to new heights!

Themis, despite her billions of years of life experience, was still taken aback by his appearance, which showed the level of his beauty.

"I see you are feeling better, Lady Themis," Miquella said, pulling Themis out of her thoughts.

Feeling a bit embarrassed by her reaction, she pretended to cough and spoke, regaining the calm and elegance she always had. "Thank you very much for saving me, My Lord."

She placed her hand over her chest and bowed slightly to him, showing all her respect. Having lived through three dynasties, she knew how to behave in the presence of someone truly powerful like Uranus, Cronos, and finally, Zeus.

Miquella nodded on his Iron Throne and spoke calmly, "Do not worry about formality, I am quite free and informal."

With that said, he descended from the throne, step by step, until he reached where Themis was.

"Walk with me," he said, passing by her and walking towards Leyndell. Malenia always behind him following, his long golden sword.

Themis did not ask why and walked with him, always staying one step behind him, showing her status.

Leyndell was entirely made of gold, and when the sun's rays hit the gleaming gold, it created a beautiful scene seen from afar, as if the entire city was surrounded by a golden splendor.

The architectural style was similar to Victorian Gothic, with tall towers, mansions, castles, and above all, a palace. As they walked through the golden streets, Miquella spoke, seemingly to himself. "I don't want you to become my Subordinate God because you think you owe me; I want you to become my Subordinate God out of loyalty."

Themis listened in silence, without saying anything.

"The duty of being the balance between order and chaos in the universe rests on my shoulders. If you become my Subordinate Goddess, you will have to bear heavy responsibilities," Miquella said without looking at Themis, who followed.

"So, I have to ask you, do you want to become my Subordinate Goddess?" Miquella stopped, looked directly into the silver eyes of the goddess, and continued. "You can refuse; I will not be angry or unhappy, but I will have to erase certain memories of yours."

Themis smiled; she had already decided. If before it was out of gratitude and a hunger for power, this time she truly wanted to serve Miquella.

He was entirely different from any god she had known in these billions of years. She wasn't just talking about his extraordinarily beautiful appearance, but about the gestures she had seen in him up to this moment.

Especially the look he gave her; it was different from any other god. There was respect and equality in that look. He did not despise her for being a woman like other gods who saw her only as an object of pleasure.

It wasn't just her, but all goddesses had a problem: most male gods were a bunch of scoundrels who saw goddesses only as objects of conquest and pleasure.

But in Miquella's gaze, Themis saw someone who genuinely wanted her to participate—not as an object, but as an equal partner.

Under Malenia's unsurprised eyes, the goddess knelt before her brother. Her brother's charm and charisma were still as strong as before, even more potent in this life.

"I, Themis, Goddess of justice, divine law, divine order, and customs," she continued, looking directly into Miquella's eyes.

"Swear before the Greater Will."

When she said this, a great eye appeared in the sky of Miquella's Kingdom, looking directly at Themis and Miquella.

Malenia felt her body stiffen under that gaze; she felt as small as an ant before that eye.

Themis didn't care about the eye and focused entirely on Miquella, her silver eyes meeting his golden ones.

"My body, mind, and soul are yours," she said.

"I will be your sword, your spear, and your shield," her voice filled with reverence.

"From today until the end of time," unwavering and undeniable.

"I will be yours for all eternity," with respect and submission.

"I swear by the Greater Will," above all, eternal loyalty.

When she finished speaking, a golden heart flew from her chest without causing any injury and landed in Miquella's hand.

It was Themis's heart; with it, Miquella could do anything with Themis, regardless of her wishes.

As Themis's vows concluded, the eye of the Greater Will closed in the sky and disappeared, its role as a witness successfully completed.

Holding Themis's heart as if it were a precious thing, Miquella stored it within the space where his authorities were located and looked at the still-kneeling goddess with a gentle and surprisingly warm gaze.

"We will be together for all eternity, Themis," Miquella said, offering his hand to her.

Taking his hand, Themis responded with an elegant smile. "Until the end of time, my lord."

"Come, my sister must be waiting for us to break our fast," Miquella said and walked back to the majestic palace at the top of Leyndell.

---

Seeing her brother walking side by side with her friend, Hemera smiled very satisfied. Miquella would finally have someone to share his heavy burden. Themis was simply perfect as her brother's Subordinate Goddess; all her authorities were compatible with her younger brother's authorities.

Hemera couldn't be happier at that moment.

"I personally prepared a dinner for us," she said, pointing to the sumptuous feast served on the table, including an entire roasted pig on a platter. Jars of ambrosia exuded a sweet aroma in the air, making the atmosphere more relaxed and cozy.

"The last time you cooked for me, you burned the whole chicken," Themis said, her voice tinged with amusement and nostalgia.

"That was a thousand years ago!" Hemera rolled her eyes and replied, pouting, feeling very dissatisfied with her embarrassing past being revealed.

"I'd love to hear more about it." Sitting down, Miquella smiled and spoke playfully, looking teasingly at Hemera.

Meanwhile, everyone began to eat. Malenia, in particular, was practically feeding Miquella all the food, as if he didn't know how to eat himself.

Not that Miquella was complaining; after all, who doesn't like being pampered?

Dinner was filled with laughter as Miquella shared some jokes from his second life, back when he was human. Though some jokes were so corny they made the goddesses present roll their eyes, Miquella laughed heartily.

During the dinner, with the help of some subtle manipulation by Miquella, even Malenia began to form a friendship with Themis and a bit with Hemera, though just a bit. But things were on the right track; it wouldn't take long for them all to become friends in the end.

The night ended with Hemera climbing into Miquella's bed with an ambiguous and sensual smile.

---

The next morning, everyone was having breakfast.

"I heard Hemera's moans last night. Was the night pleasurable, my lord?" Themis asked, biting into the bread (Artos), and looking provocatively at Hemera, who blushed at her question.

Miquella just laughed at his elder sister's embarrassed expression.

Malenia snorted coldly and continued eating, already convinced her brother had turned into a libertine.

"My brother has become a libertine," Malenia murmured to herself with a displeased expression.

This time, it was Miquella who felt embarrassed.

"I am not a libertine; I have only been with three goddesses in my entire life!" He retorted, asserting his innocence against such serious and slanderous accusations.

"Yes, Malenia. Compared to other gods, Miquella is a cute and innocent bunny," Hemera, sitting beside him, reinforced her brother's words with an amused smile on her lips.

Next to her, Themis also nodded. Compared to other gods, Miquella was indeed very innocent.

Malenia still snorted coldly and looked at her brother with a slightly cruel gaze.

Miquella just smiled helplessly at that look. He knew he couldn't convince his sister otherwise.

"My lord, I have something to report," Themis said, drawing everyone's attention at the table.

Frowning, he noticed the serious look in his newest subordinate's eyes.

"Last night, I remembered that before I lost consciousness, I spoke with an unknown god," Themis reported with a dignified look.

Hearing her words, both Miquella and Hemera exchanged glances and saw the caution in each other's eyes.

If what Themis said was true, then the whole situation she found herself in was apparently orchestrated by an unknown god. Fortunately, this unknown god's plan was interrupted because of Hemera.

"Do you remember anything, any characteristics or divine power?" Miquella asked, putting down the cup of ambrosia, his voice completely serious with a slight edge behind it.

"Nothing. Only that it's a man," Themis replied, shaking her head, her voice tinged with guilt for not remembering something that could help her lord. At the same time, a feeling of vengeance arose in the Goddess of Justice's heart; she swore she would one day take revenge on whoever conspired against her.

Miquella nodded and ate in silence. If confirmed, it meant that an External God or an agent of one had infiltrated Greece, which was definitely bad news.

This was a terrible situation, especially because this unknown god was plotting something very bad, and the longer he remained hidden, the more preparation he would have, and the more terrible the final plan would be.

"I will inform the Mother Goddess and the Father God. I will also warn all my brothers and sisters," Hemera said, rising from her seat, her voice tinged with seriousness and deep calm.

"Thank you, sister. I will be monitoring all corners of the universe in the meantime," Miquella said seriously, his gaze surprisingly cold.

A dark energy portal appeared in the dining hall, and Hemera stepped into it, disappearing from Miquella's realm.

"I'm going to train." Feeling that she was the weakest in the place, Malenia rose from her chair and walked out.

To protect Miquella, she needed power and more power, so she had been training desperately.

Rubbing his forehead, Miquella felt a great headache coming on.

Looking at the simple golden ring on his finger, he murmured to himself, "Maybe I need to use its power."

---

A hundred winters later.

Early in the morning, Miquella woke up and sat on the bed, sleepily looking to the side. He was still drowsy, swaying back and forth, threatening to fall back into bed and go back to sleep at any moment. Soon, Themis entered the room with a set of clean, new clothes. It was the same style Miquella usually wore, but instead of golden patterns, these had silver ones.

Seeing her lord naked and with his hair completely tousled, Themis sighed helplessly and began helping Miquella get dressed.

"Good morning, Mys," Miquella greeted her with a still sleepy look on his face as Themis combed his long hair.

"You could work less, my lord." Seeing Miquella's state, Themis felt a bit distressed and spoke softly.

"It's alright, it's just a few years of continuous work," Miquella replied, letting his body fall into the arms of his loyal and adorable subordinate.

A hundred years had passed since he accepted Themis as his Subordinate Goddess—one hundred years that seemed an eternity when he was human, but were insignificant before the immortal expectations of gods in this life. Another thing he noticed was that the passage of time was different in the eyes of the gods. While every minute counted when you were human, a god could spend fifty years appreciating a landscape and then move on as if nothing had happened.

This made the hundred years for Miquella seem like just a few days, showing the difference in perspectives between the two races. As for the Unknown God suspected of being an External God or polluted by one, there was no trace of him, almost as if he had disappeared from the face of the planet, which was definitely very suspicious. There was no trace or even real evidence of this god's existence beyond Themis's memories. This was worrisome, as two First Generation Primordial Gods and Primordial Thrones found no trace of this supposed god.

Nyx presumed that this god was hiding in some special place or was disguised as another god, pretending to be someone he was not. This explained why they found nothing even after a hundred years of tireless searching. But even though there were no clues about this unknown god in those hundred years, Nyx compiled a list of all the gods who knew about the existence of External Gods. Anyone on the list was a suspect. This list also included all the Big Three – Hades, Poseidon, and Zeus.

Letting out a tired sigh, Miquella looked at Themis's beautiful face and asked, "How are the babies?"

The hands combing his hair paused for a moment but soon resumed. Miquella noticed this but thought it irrelevant.

"They are well, ready to be born at any moment." Looking at her smooth belly without any sign of swelling, Themis responded softly, her eyes shining with maternal love.

At the same time, she glanced at Miquella, unable to muster the courage to tell him that he was the father of her daughters. It wasn't that she doubted he would take responsibility, but she felt embarrassed and didn't want to burden him further than he already was at the moment.

(Note: Responsibility to create and teach, not marriage.)

"It will be interesting to see children running through these halls," Miquella said, laughing as he imagined three adorable girls running through the palace corridors, unaware of his subordinate's thoughts.

For some reason, a feeling of envy sprouted in his heart. He wished he were the father of the children in the Goddess's womb, even though he had never had sexual relations with Themis. Once again, it was his human feelings speaking. Just as animals continue to exist through their descendants after death, humans were no different. The desire to reproduce was especially strong in humans, particularly given how enjoyable sex was.

Letting out another tired sigh, lord and vassal sighed for different reasons and continued with their daily duties.

Suddenly, a coercion spread throughout Leyndell. Both Miquella and Themis looked in a certain direction, surprised.

"Incredible, a hundred winters to advance to the stages of Mythic Throne," Themis murmured, still finding it incredible for a god to advance so quickly.

"My sister is amazing," Miquella said, jumping out of bed still naked.

Themis helped Miquella get dressed and nodded, even more amazed at the speed of the Goddess of Rot and Decay's advancement. It could be said that every ten years, Malenia advanced a sub-throne. This shocked Themis in a surprising way, as the divine power of the Greek gods grew very slowly.

Miquella finished dressing and disappeared from the room, along with Themis.

…

Appearing in a place that resembled a coliseum, Miquella was in the stands and saw Malenia in the center of the coliseum arena.

Her crimson hair flew wildly behind her, with a scarlet aura burning like flames around her. Two pairs of wings made of red petals unfolded behind her. If not for Malenia being in the Nation of Chaos, the entire environment for thousands of kilometers would have withered and completely lost its life.

"Very beautiful," Themis murmured, seeing Malenia's form. "If I didn't know, I would have imagined her as the Goddess of Flowers."

"You shouldn't judge a book by its cover, dear Mys," Miquella responded, leaning against the stone railing in front of him, looking at Malenia's second form, although clothed.

For some reason, he remembered the hundreds of times he died to his sister while playing... He didn't know how many times he wanted to punch the TV out of sheer rage while facing that acrobatic abomination with multiple consecutive attacks.

"Brother…"

Suddenly, Miquella heard a whisper in his ear and quickly realized it was his sister, Nemesis, speaking to him. Upon hearing the contents of the message, Miquella couldn't help but show a strange expression on his face.

"Did something happen?" Noticing the unusual expression on his face, Themis asked, concerned.

"Nothing serious, but I just received an invitation from my sister to visit the Underworld. Apparently, she wants to introduce me to Hades," Miquella replied, narrowing his eyes thoughtfully.

The sudden invitation made his mind race with numerous suspicions, especially with the possible presence of an External God in Greece.

"My lord, do you think Hades is a suspect?" Themis asked, connecting the dots after hearing his words.

"Yes," Miquella nodded. "It's very suspicious to receive an invitation at this moment. It seems like too much of a coincidence."

"But Hades is a woman," Themis pointed out a flaw in Miquella's reasoning.

Miquella, who was deep in thought, seemed to hear something very wrong.

"Hades is a woman?" he asked, looking at Themis with a shocked expression.

"Yes." Although she didn't understand the reason for his surprised look, Themis confirmed her words.

At that moment, Miquella placed Hades at the top of his list of suspects. As for Hades being a woman, that didn't matter much—gods could transform into animals, and changing gender was as simple as breathing for them.

"We're leaving," Miquella looked at Themis and smiled.

"We're going to the Underworld!"

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Next Chapter: Chapter 8 – First Meeting Between The Emperor and Empress (I)